Minister of Agriculture and Food Security has blamed the rising cost of tomato products across Nigeria on an infestation of tomato farms known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.
He disclosed this on Monday through his official X account.
Kyari was reacting to the astronomical rise in the prices of tomatoes in Nigeria.
It was reported that the average price of one kilogram of tomato rose by 131.58 per cent yearly to N1,123.41 in April 2024 from N485.10 in April 2023.
However, Kyari said the infestation in tomato farms has reduced product availability and price hikes.
“Many of our tomato farms have been affected by a severe infestation known as Tomato Ebola or Tomato Leaf Miner.
“This has drastically reduced the availability of tomatoes and contributed to rising costs.
“Our ministry is taking immediate action to combat this issue. We are deploying agricultural experts to affected areas to contain and eliminate the infestation.
“Additionally, we are supporting our farmers with the necessary resources and guidance to recover their crops as quickly as possible, just as we instituted the Ginger Blight Control Taskforce.
“We understand the impact this has on your daily lives and are working tirelessly to resolve the situation and restore the supply of affordable tomatoes”, he wrote.
Meanwhile, Nigeria’s food inflation surged to a record high in April.
Data from the National Bureau of Statistics showed that food and headline inflation increased to 33.69 per cent and 40.53 per cent in April 2024, respectively.
